Written by Gail Preston, Head Teacher, Rosehill High School

I joined Cohort 92 of the Columba 1400 Head Teachers’ Leadership Academy (HTLA) in May 2022 at the end of one of the toughest years of my teaching career. I was exhausted – physically, mentally, and emotionally. Schools had returned to so-called ‘business as usual,’ but the reality was anything but.

We were trying to apply pre-pandemic frameworks to a post-pandemic world, all while wrestling with the feeling that the grand ambitions for educational reform we had once spoken about were drifting further from reach.

At the same time, I was struggling with repeated rejections for Head Teacher posts. Each piece of feedback was fair, reasonable, constructive – but it didn’t make hearing it any easier. I had started looking at careers beyond education, mapping out an exit plan. I told my husband there was no point in attending the HTLA. I wasn’t going to be a Head.

And yet, I showed up. And thank goodness I did.

From Reflection to Reality: The Journey to Rosehill

A few weeks after completing the HTLA, I was appointed Head Teacher of a brand-new school – Rosehill High School.

I walked into this challenge with the lessons of values-based leadership at the core of my thinking. From day one, my focus has been on building a school culture that isn’t just about policies and procedures but about people and purpose. With no physical building yet in place, our first term required a hybrid working model. I had to think creatively about how to help our team connect in a meaningful way, ensuring that, despite our dispersed locations, we were developing a shared identity, ethos, and mission.

Our professional learning sessions became more than just CPD – they became a foundation for who we are. Whether discussing strategic leadership, decolonising the curriculum, or relational approaches, each session began with the same framing:

  • The Rosehill Way – our guiding ethos
  • Our core values – Respect, Kindness, and Responsibility
  • Our commitment to creating a circle of safety
  • A brave space for exploration, questioning, and discussion.

We’d end each session with deliberate reflection – both group and individual – on what this means for practice. The learning isn’t just theoretical. It is active, iterative, and deeply embedded in everything we do.

Challenging Traditional Leadership Structures

The HTLA helped me realise that time is a leadership tool. It’s one of the most valuable resources we have – and yet, in traditional school leadership, it is often misused. At Rosehill, we don’t have staff meetings in the traditional sense. Instead, we have a weekly email briefing – a summary of key updates, operational tasks, and timelines. This shift allows us to prioritise meaningful collaboration when we are together – to explore, discuss, and problem-solve rather than merely exchange information.

We’ve also redefined access to leadership. I don’t want staff to feel like they have to ‘catch’ the Head Teacher. I don’t want to be caught. I want to be fully present when I interact with colleagues. My diary is open for anyone to book time in, and I’ve adopted a brilliant piece of wisdom from a Columba 1400 tutor – when someone asks, “Have you got two minutes?” I reply, “I do… but do you need ten?”

Boundaries and the Strength to Lead Imperfectly

A fundamental takeaway from the HTLA for me was the importance of boundaries in leadership. The myth of the ‘always available’ leader isn’t sustainable, and at Rosehill, we’ve been transparent about this. My door is not always open – not because I’m unavailable, but because sometimes deep work is required to make the school thrive.

Unexpected issues will always arise, but refusing to be the default ‘Head of Answers’ is crucial. Thinking matters. Time matters. Leadership must be intentional. And yet, the reality of leadership is that you will never please everyone. Since 2022, I’ve learned that having conviction in leadership means being okay with not being universally liked. One person’s passionate is another’s difficult. One person’s knowledgeable is another’s defensive. I have been told I communicate too much, and not enough. That I am too involved, and too detached. That I am too hard, and too soft. At some point, you have to accept that you are an imperfect human leading other imperfect humans. And I have learned to be okay with that.

The Reality of Building a School From the Ground Up

Since 2022, we have continued to grow and thrive as a leadership team, fully committed to values-based leadership. The ongoing interest in The Rosehill Way has been both gratifying and humbling, serving as a reminder that building and maintaining school culture is a ceaseless endeavour.

One reality we keep coming back to is that, contrary to popular belief, a shiny new building does not automatically create an educational utopia. At the Learning Places Scotland conference, I shared an insight that everything takes longer than you expect when it comes to property and partnership working. Everything. If you’ve ever moved into a new build home, imagine the snagging list for just one room. Now multiply that by 120. Even the architecture itself brings unforeseen challenges. Safeguarding takes on a new dimension when your beautifully designed building has limited doors and open-plan spaces. Finding the balance between welcoming our community and keeping it safe is a daily consideration. That said, never underestimate the power of walking into a beautiful workplace every day. It does make a difference.

The Realities of Leading a New School in Challenging Times

Rosehill is housed in a £47 million facility, yet we are not immune to the same financial pressures, recruitment struggles, and resourcing challenges as every other school. The constraints we face have a direct impact on learning and wellbeing, and at times, reminding the team of our progress feels like walking a fine line between genuine optimism and toxic positivity.

However, I remain grateful that our discussions are about managing growth rather than stagnation or decline. There is momentum, energy, and a shared sense of purpose. That alone is something to hold onto.

Continuing the Learning

Throughout all of this, I have stayed committed to the HTLA promise I made to myself – to prioritise time for reflection, reading, and writing.

Columba 1400 asks us to think big, to think positive, and to see possibilities where others might see barriers. It’s about trusting ourselves as a profession; doing the right thing even when no one is watching and being aware that we are not alone in fighting the good fight. Teaching is not about having all the answers but about believing that you can work them out together.

I know who I am as a leader.

I know what I want our team to achieve.

And I am confident that our shared sense of purpose gets us a little further up that hill every day.

We invite you to visit this page to find out more about our Head Teachers’ Leadership Academy.